INTERVIEW #1

Kali: What's your favorite thing to do?

Mahalia: Read Peter Pan

Kali: Why?

Mahalia: Because it's special.

Kali: What's so special about it?

Mahalia; Well, I really like the pages and the noise when they get flipped. Like this...(mahalia flips the page and shows me how it sounds.)

Kali: What else do you like to do besides read Peter Pan

Mahalia: I like to, um, eat lunch at school.

GO, May May, GO!!!!!

She got a scooter for her 3rd birthday and has surprised us with her ability to zoom around the neighborhood.

As my friend Hale says, this is a possible over-blogging situation. I can't help myself.

Also, do you have that thing when you hear your voice on a video and you're like, "oh, god. that's what i sound like?" anyhow, that happens in this video. i beat you to it.

While we're at it....

Another oldie but goodie.

The traffic in certain parts of Brooklyn could make a grown man cry. I zoomed in and out of traffic in the bug honking the horn and muttering under my breath. We pulled up to a red light and I growled, exasperated. Mahalia waited a moment and said, "you just need to be patient, mom." I said, "You're right. How'd you get so smart?"

I was looking through some old photos and videos and found this one from just over a year ago. Seriously, where does the time go?

Mahalia continues to be a wonderful and amazing big sister. She coos and strokes Dezi when he cries and says lovingly, "It's okay, little one."

She got some new hot pink, or, as she says, pink hot sandals. She wanted to wear them to school today over her peach socks and said to me as I put them on, "this is going to be so amazing."

She dictated a Mother's Day Card to her teachers and this is what is says:

I love mommy because she helps me with my big puzzles. She does everything. Mommy brushes my hair. She says I have to go to school. Mommy buys me pretty dresses and she puts barrettes in my hair. She says stop picking my nose. Mommy cooks eggs for me.

Love, Mahalia

Mahalia and her favorite companion, Isaiah, made music with each other in Dumbo. Here they're playing their violins.

Maymay and her sleepy honey daddy.

Mahalia is adjusting to her role as big sister. She understands Dezi's hospital stay as being his time to "sleep until he's better." She returned to school today to many cheering friends and supportive teachers who were excited to see her and she them. She beamed with pride as they addressed her as the big sister and is truly ready for the title.

She is a good girl. At then end of last week I said to her, "Mahalia this has been a really hard week for everybody and you've been a very good girl and I'm so proud of you." She just answered, "I'm so proud of you Mommy." She's the best.

One of Mahalia's recent and irritating obsessions is a sudden love/hate/interest in Peanut. Peanut is, without a doubt, one of the most tolerant cats in the land. The attention (torture) is so non-stop that she is pushed to her limit at least once per day resulting in a scratch or a bite and then tears of pain from you know who. She actually said to me one day, "It feels really hard when Peanut scwatches me. It's feeling really hard for my heart. It's so hard to be a kid." My cold hearted response was a little something like, "Ha. It gets worse now get in bed."

Let's hope this is not indicative of the love and attention she'll be pouring all over the new critter that's coming next week.

Shane made a little video of her singing songs about her friends, Rachel and Diam (Diane.) Those of you who are familiar with my singing know where she got this low voice.

Here Comes the Bride




Mahalia recently became obsessed with getting married. She found a bouquet and announced, "I'm getting married." The progressive school teacher in me wants to say, "Maybe someday you'll meet a man or a woman you like well enough to marry." Instead I ask her, "You're getting married? Who are you marrying?" It turns out that she wants to marry a ceramic chicken that lives on our book shelf. Her father and I always hoped she'd bring home a lovely chicken someday to become part of the family.

Coinky Coink

This is a new phrase in our house coined by little Maymay. Usage examples include sentences like, "You little coinky coink." and "It's so coinky." Shane and I have also folded it into our own vocabularies. Last night, for example, I whacked my toe and said, "What the COINK!" You can hear Mahalia making up a coinky coink song in this video. My other favorite line from this little film is, "Did you hear the noise of my butt?"