she

She is all red curls and round belly.
She loves baby dolls and monster trucks.
She does things, "all by self".
She could give a fuck what her hair looks like or if she's wearing pants.
She has a gap between her two front teeth.
She isn't afraid to speak her mind or to yell it.
She doesn't go anywhere without her blanket or her smile.
She listens to Bruce Springsteen in the car.
She can't get through the day without 'reading' books or 'singing' songs.
She goes down the stairs on her bum but jumps the last two.
She's fearless.
She runs down the hall and splashes in the tub.
She begs for back scratches.
She's two years old now.

Before her, I thought I could never love my second as much as my first.

She proved me wrong.



Her arrival was staight out of Bollywood.

this is what a family looks like

I have a namesake!

Finley Cole (as in Nicole) arrived 2weeks early and is lovely beyond words. Her mommies and little brother are smitten.

As am I.

Most likely her awesomeness will surpass that of my own. As it should be for one's namesake.



While it would seem that there are those who needlessly struggle with defining a family in stringent terms as if it is only a Census box to be checked or a recipe to be strictly followed. All I have to say is, you'll know one when you see it.

they were all out of really big couches

One of my earliest memories is at the age of three. I shared a room with my baby sister, her crib at the end of my narrow single bed. I remember putting all my teddy bears and dolls, all my worldly possessions into her crib, my mother being angry at what I had done. Her anger was confusing to me because my intent wasn't to hurt the baby but to fill her crib up with all that I loved. To give her all that I had.


Thirty years later I'm still trying to give her all that I have. All that I have being a wine fuelled surprise thirtieth birthday party, complete with flashing tiara and raging hangovers with the unfortunate timing of being the night before my husband left for Seoul as in South Korea. But what else are you going to do on a 14 hour flight if not kill a hang over. Except maybe be thankful that your kids are at home with your equally hungover wife.

And there I went filling up her crib with all that I loved, of course now being red wine and cake.

Surprise birthday parties are not as easy as teddy bears and dolls but each are equally worth it. Because I love her.



Sometimes we laugh really loud and act annoyingly silly.
Sometimes we sit in really big chairs because that's more dignified.