A love/hate relationship

Annie's had a big Memorial Day weekend which all started on Friday at Discovery Green, a park with jumping fountains which Annie can not get enough of (and which I love too because I don't have to put a swimsuit on for her to enjoy it). It's in sharp contrast from visiting this same park last year when Annie more wanted to observe the crazy water than to actually touch it. Ah, spring in Houston: We love that the weather is warm enough for Annie to be sporting a swimsuit (and tanlines) in May, but that just means that in about a week, we'll have 95º heat and 150% humidity.

However, we did get some spring fever and headed to Annie's first Astros game (and sadly, probably her last) on Saturday. She did surprisingly well (and so do we, given that there were scattered thunderstorms so the park had implemented its retractable roof and we sat in air-conditioned joy). We arrived at the top of the 2nd and left at the bottom of the 8th when it was clear the Astros were pretty much dead and burried by the Rangers. We had some friends with us, too, from my moms' group, so that made it a little more exciting for Annie, as did the rousing crowd-rendition of "Deep in the Heart of Texas" (see below). She also enjoyed her first ballpark pretzle ... well, part of it anyway. It seemed as though her younger sibling-to-be wanted most of it. Already the rivalry begins.

We would like to end this post with a pre-birthday shout-out to Nana who's 33rd birthday (you're only as old as you tell people you are) is just around the corner. We've started packing for our move so it's anybody's guess how often these posts will be rolling out. By the way, does anyone have any extra boxes?

I like them in a box. I like them with a fox.

This conversation ensued after Annie rushed into my room at the end of the day holding a lid to one of our pots from the kitchen as if it were a platter. Guess what book she got last week.

Annie: "Mom, do you like green eggs and ham!"

Me: "I LOVE green eggs and ham! Can I try some of yours?"

Annie: "No. These are old. I'm going to get some new ones. At Target ... Bye, Mom!"

Me: "Bye, Annie. So you're going to get some new green eggs and ham?"

Annie: "No. Not green ones. Yellow ones ... and ... purple!"

Me: "Awesome."

Like mother, like daughter

This Mother's Day was very enjoyable as the day pretty much centered on cushy bath products and food (two of my FAVORITE things). We went to a great restaurant, Shade, for brunch where Annie proceded to eat an entire plate of appetizer pastries for her meal (that's my girl). I post this photo, not because it's the most emotionally evocative, but for two reasons: 1) Annie's head looks bigger than mine and that's just funny, and 2) I'm making an expression I have seen Annie make, which allows me to see a physical resemblance in the two of us I so rarely witness (click on the image to view it full size). Scroll down to the blog post, Picture Perfect, second photo, to see what I mean. This photo also reveals the all too early "baby bump." I was shocked at how soon I started showing with this one and it's not because I've been eating ice cream every night for dessert. (Would that I were! Heaven.) For some reason, my body just gave up on having any abdominal muscles after Annie was born, so all the bloating and swelling my jokingly toned abs hid when I was pregnant with Annie are now here for all the world to see. It also doesn't help that the photo was taken after I had just eaten my weight in halibut.

I also would like to have a moment of silence for Annie's naps. May they rest in peace. It seems as though they are completely out of the realm of possibility now and every day at around 1 PM, I swear I can hear the playing of Taps in the distance. Goodbye old, on-again-off-again friend.

On a more upbeat note: we have a place to live in Louisville! After an exhausting and emotional search, and me pretty much stalking craigslist, we found an awesome house with an awesome landlord who has an awesome knowledge of all things Louisville and isn't afraid to share it. To the left is a snap shot of the house and the deck (I'M GOING TO HAVE A DECK!!!) we will soon be living in and on come June 28-ish. Don't get too excited, it's just a year's rental, but it's in the neighborhood we wanted to be in, within walking distance to a farmers market, and close to Cherokee Park (an Olmstead park, aka Central Park NYC designer), which is massive and sure to be frequented by us all too often, just as soon as I can let go of the deck. We will also have a guest room, so visitors are welcome!

And she's off!

Annie witnessed her first of what are sure to be many Kentucky Derby races on Saturday, and what a way to begin (of course, none of the horses we picked was a winner)! She was excited (at first) to wear her Derby hat and join the races with Sheepy (her rocking sheep, who sadly did not qualify due to the fact that he's, well, a sheep). Annie hasn't watched much T.V. in her short life, mostly videos of herself during various moments of desperation when it's all I can think to do to keep her entertained, so she didn't quite get the concept of advertising. When an ad would come on, she'd say "Don't want this one. Don't want this video?" And she had NO time for Bob Costas (must get that from me). She was excited to watch all the horses running together, but mostly just to run around the room herself.
And, if you don't know already, Annie's expecting a little surprise in November. We're due for another baby on November 7 (two days before Annie's third birthday ... well, we wanted them 3 years apart, and I'm nothing if not precise). So far, at 13 weeks pregnant, I'm feeling pretty good. It was a tough three months though, with a lot of fatigue, headaches, and just a touch of cranky. I don't know if it was the pregnancy alone or the pregnancy coupled with raising a two-year-old who doesn't nap. I'm hoping the next trimester will bring back some semblance of energy for me because we have a lot in store in the coming months, a move, a new job for Jay and of course, Annie's never-ending energy for it all. In fact, I think she could win the next Derby all by herself, sans horse.