Little Bit O' Lingo

"W-O-R-D up! W-O-R-D up!" ~ Cameo

Q has always been verbal. From the first week we brought him home, he liked to grunt and gurgle up a storm. And I can recall a very animated discussion he initiated at a mere two months of age. As time went on, his babbling vocabulary grew and grew. Q loves to hear himself speak. But he hadn't ventured into the grown human English world, not even for a regular "Mama" or "Daddy", until a few weeks ago

It's pretty exciting to finally hear your child speak words that you can somewhat understand. Even if they are the same few words. Over and over and over again. With lots of pointing. Sometimes in your eye.

Q's current favorites (in approximate order of appearance):

Ball (recently from Baaa? to Baaall!)
Door (sounds kind of like D'oh, but without the frustration)
No (sometimes interchanged with Don't)
Mum-mum (I believe he's addressing me, mainly when whining)
Flower (mostly Flaaah)
Fan (mostly Faaa)
Daddy (emphasis on the Deee!)
Cock (No idea -- seems to have multiple meanings, from lightswitch to car driving next to us)
Kitty (emphasis on the Teee! Still hoping he reworks Elroy in some fun way soon)

New words seem to be appearing at an almost daily rate now. Will try to get some video up soon!

War Wounds

"I'm a soldier of love, every day of my life" ~ Sade

I can recall being at a friend's house a couple of years ago and chatting away with her while watching her little boy pounce on her repeatedly while grabbing her hair and socking her in the side. She continued our conversation without appearing the tiniest bit distracted. I tried to keep my jaw from unhinging and dropping to the floor. She calmly told him something in Swedish and he skipped off toward his dad. Impressed hardly describes how I felt. But it also made me fear having a rambunctious little boy who beat me up so regularly that it wouldn't phase me.

I guess nothing could prepare me for the toddler-driven violence that I now encounter regularly. I've posted before about Q's love bites. And yes, those are still a regular occurrence. But now there are also slaps, punches, hair and earring pulls, etc. Oh, and the intensity of the headbutts can be mind-boggling. Literally. Last night I was convinced I had a mild concussion from an especially forceful one.

What I want to know is -- is it just boys? Or do girls go through a violent toddler phase? I don't think Q means to inflict pain or harm. Many times those headbutts are accidental, and I know he's testing his limits and all of that baby milestone stuff.

The poor guy has many more wounds than I do. I'm sure it's the combination of being a new walker and having a large head that is hard to control. Seriously -- 90th percentile, people. His face in particular is pretty much always bruised and scraped. I'm surprised that CPS hasn't set up camp in front of Guido.

White Walled

"Lively up yourself and don't be no drag" ~ Bob Marley

My excuse for having boring white walls at Guido? I like colorful artwork! Fortunately so does Toby. His paintings tend to be very bright and playful. We have some of his artwork up but not enough to fill the vast white wall space. Not that we have to completely fill it. How I loathe cluttered walls. But we do need at least something.

Friends and family have suggested that Toby start painting again to perfectly and personally adorn our new walls. While of course this would be ideal, his free time is finite at the moment. So I will have to find some other original artwork in the meanwhile.

While trolling Etsy for inspiration, I came across an artist that I adore. She is a Japanese artist named Juri Ueda, and she makes me wish I had a reason to decorate a little girl's room.


So sweet, but not practical at this time. We need pieces that would be more living room and dining room friendly.

I like the idea of this tree collage. It's modern with a fresh dose of whimsy. The artist is Sascalia from the UK.



This seller has a pretty cool deal on Etsy to buy four of his prints, which I envision hanging in a sort of cluster on one wall. Love the koi fish especially (shocking, I know).

Let Me See You Go Back...

"Back, back, back and forth" ~ Aaliyah



I have a favorite country. Some of you may be aware of it. My cousin is currently living there for an indefinite span of time with his fiancee. I also just found out that they plan to get married there instead of in the Bay Area. A wedding in Italy. A wedding to which I am invited. Let's just say the whimsical-fantasyland-Pisces me is playing a game of ping pong with the practical-have-an-expensive-mortgage-and-a-16monthold me.

What a perfect opportunity to go back to my favorite country!

Why must they tempt me?

Rome! The most romantic, beautiful, cool city I've ever visited!

Q on a plane for 12 hours.

Credit cards are made for such occasions!

Living just enough for Guido house.

My cousin is like my brother!

Hmm, whimsical-fantasyland-Pisces might have just served a doozy of hit...


*Photo via villagrazioli.com

Beach Blanket Q-alon

At Butterfly Beach in Montecito. While the ebbing and flowing fog and 67 degree temp weren't my ideal, they were pretty perfect for my white boys.