Nolalina Ballerina

Guess who's 4

... as of May 25th. Yes, slightly overdue blog. More pictures soon so you can see what a 4 year old looks like! Meanwhile, here's the cake we enjoyed with Nola's friend, Maia, and her family -- Seth, Ami, Ian & Drew.

Four Easters

We had a wonderful Easter this year. After waking up to discover that the Easter bunny left a basket of goodies for a sweet 3 year old, we got ready for a beautiful, sun-shiny day with family. Upon arriving at Omi's house, we were told that the Easter bunny stopped by and clerverly hid some eggstra special goodies in the backyard. It didn't take much for little miss grab a colorful basket and head out for egg-hunting fun.

After the big hunt, we slipped on our bathing suits and cooled off in the pool -- afterall, it was 87 degrees. We shot lots of video which will be posted once Uncle Mike does his editing magic. In the meantime, enjoy some images from Easters then and now. I am so lucky to be able to watch this little girl grow.

2008, 11 months

2009, almost 2

2010, almost 3
2011, almost 4

Princess in training?

Nola received a pair of fancy princess dress-up sandals for Xmas and has been enjoying them ever since! (much to my dismay since I worry that she will fall smack on her head as she walks across our Mexican tile floor)

Anyway, we had a little fun yesterday. Oh, and she picked her outfit ... afterall, you can't be a princess unless you are dressed head to toe in some flavor of pink!

Look mom, double decker red!

Justice for Henry

Being the overly sensitive sap I am, it is no wonder I cannot stay away from Katie Allison Granju's blog. Meet Henry Louis Granju, Katie's beautiful first-born son. Henry died last May 2010, at the age of 18, from a drug overdose and traumatic injury.

I don't recall how I came to learn about Katie and her beloved son, Henry, yet this story has touched me deeply. Perhaps the fact that I am now a mother is one reason. Though mostly, and while I don't know Katie IRL (in real life), I have come to know her through her blog, and respect her strength as a mother to fight for justice for her son. Because of that, I want to show my support by sharing her story here (and on Facebook).

Katie does not deny that her son was an addict, but he did not want to die. Please take the time to check out Katie's blog and lend your support. You can start here, where she has gone fully public with the circumstances surrounding Henry's death, and read forward to learn the chronological details of Henry's story.

Let's help Katie get justice for Henry!

Goodbye, scary brown dresser

I don't believe I ever posted pictures of Nola's first room. Of course by now it is no longer a nursery and has become a little girl's room. In November of 2009, at age 2.5, Nola transitioned from her crib into a toddler bed (thank you to Nola's best friend, Tante Moni). Ya, she decided to try her hand at acrobatics and jump out of the crib. Mind you, prior to this moment, she had shown no interest in climbing out of her crib. But for this mama, all it took was one time of hearing a BIG thump across the house, and running like a mad mama to her room, opening the door to find her walking towards me (apparently unharmed). Anyway, I just didn't want to take any chances that she attempt this feat again.

So, back to the dresser. When designing her nursery, I decided to repurpose an antique chest. Into her room it went. (actually, I repurposed several pieces) It worked. It was nice, so I thought. Now that she's 3, it's not practical. Firstly, the drawers are difficult to open (even for me), let alone a little person. Plus, it's too tall. But the even bigger issue is that this dresser has become scary.

Presenting Nola's First Bedroom-

I hope you weren't scared of that brown dresser ;) Yes, it has become a problem over the past few months. Since early December and up until last week, little miss has decided her bedroom is just too scary to sleep in. That meant I had a new bed buddy. Sweet, yes. However, that also brought about sleep issues for yours truly. It also meant that I was going to bed with Nola if I wanted her to fall asleep at a decent hour. Otherwise, she would wait for me to get into bed before she was ready to fall alseep. Oh, the things we do for our little loves.

Last week I finally got the call I was waiting for for over 3 weeks. All it takes is that one person looking for exactly what you are trying to get rid of. So, goodbye scary brown dresser ... hello, white dresser.

New bedroom pictures coming soon -- once artwork has been rearranged, etc.

Sticker Shock

The other night while I was on the computer in the den, Nola was toodling in the living room. After a very short time, she came into the den and I got up and she walked me into the living room to proudly show me this:


O.M.G. -- let's just say my reaction was all wrong and I knew it before I even completed my sentence. Mind you, I didn't really go too crazy with my scream -- especially since I noticed pretty quickly that my sweet SENSITIVE girl's face quickly went from smiley and proud to hiding between my leg with tears flowing from her eyes. As hard as I tried to fix my reaction, it was too late. Boy, did I feel horrible.

I quickly tried to tell her how beautiful her stickers looked on my beautiful maple side table. But honey, stickers do not belong on furniture, they belong on paper. (thanks, Omi!) I gave her some paper and she continued to put stickers on the paper while I worked to remove the stickers before they sat on the table too long. While it helped a little, the damage to her spirit was done. Moments later she said, "I'm sorry, mommy". Oh, my heart.

Anyway, I really need to work on my reaction to certain actions. This isn't the first time it has happened, but it was one of the more eye-opening instances. I suppose I should be thankful that she didn't or hasn't painted or written on any walls ... yet!