This past week, we celebrated N’s 3rd birthday. Like every other parent in history, we can’t believe how quickly time has flown and how much our baby girl has grown and changed. Just three short years ago, we carefully wrapped her in her first tiny newborn-sized diaper; then just the other day, she squatted down on the platform of her new swingset (her big b-day present), and when we figured out that she was squatting so she could go to the bathroom in her Pull-Up, she said, “Can I have some privacy, please?” Such a big girl!
(Yes, we’re still working on potty training. N knows exactly how to go to the potty, when she has to go and she wears underwear sometimes—but we think the transition to preschool made her regress a bit. We have to start up again soon—but that’s another post.)
My mom was visiting for N’s birthday. She and I always go a little nuts in the kitchen when we’re together, and this time was no exception. Our culinary highlight was crafting a birthday cake in the shape of “a nice girl bear,” as N put it. Here’s a picture of the masterpiece:
Once the cake was demolished, we set about learning to make real Italian tomato sauce from our real Italian neighbor, J. We love J—she should totally have her own cooking show. She yells “Aramina!” when it’s time to stir the sauce, and every five minutes exhorts her pupils to “let the tomato-a-sleep in a blanket for three-a days.” (We finally figured out that we had to wrap the warm jars of just-made sauce in a towel and leave them undisturbed for three days.) I was determined to learn to make the sauce when I saw how eagerly N ate it all up every time J gave some to her.
We had a great weekend—new swingset, bear cake, tomato sauce and some good girl catch-up time with me, N and my mom. While of course I want to keep N little forever, I’m looking forward to those special girl-times getting even better as the years go by…
A Mom In Brooklyn 